Condenser.



H. A. HOGEL.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1905.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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(lib (Mugs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HASGAL A. HOGEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONDENSER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'IASCAL A. IIOGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Condensers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in condensers, and is primarily designed for use in connection with the treatment of refractory ores, more especially those containing sulfids of copper, lead, silver and gold. These ores are roasted and volatilized by the com bined action of heat, sulfur, oxygen and salt, as set forth in a companion application of even date herewith, Serial No. 271,468. The chlorids so produced, mixed with some impurities pass over into the condenser forming the subject matter of the present a plication, and are then condensed, the gol being recovered as the pure metal, the silver as solid chlorid of silver, the cop er in solution as a chlorid or a sulfate an the lead as solid sulfate of lead, the last named compounds being easily reducible, producing the pure metals, silver, copper and lead.

It is well known that many chlorids can be volatilized quite easily, and many attempts have been made to utilize this fact to re cover metals from refractory ores, but, so far as I know, all such efforts have been either practical failures, when attempted to be carried out on a commercial scale, or else attended with so much expense as to be prohibited from use. One reason for these failures and the chief one, in my opinion, was the impossibility of obtaining suitable methods and apparatus for condensing the volatilized fumes, and by my resent invention this point is most careful y provided for.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of my improved condenser, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section, on an enlarged scale, of one of the aspirators.

28 represents the delivery pipe from a volatilizing furnace. Any form of volatilizing furnace may be used, but I prefer the one shown in the companion application above referred to. This pipe is connected Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. July 27, 1905.

PatentedJ'uly 6, 1909.

Serial No. 271,470.

with the tubes 66 of a boiler 65, which tubes are comparatively large. The fumes as they pass through the pipe 28 are at a high temperature, often up to 1800 F. or more, and this heat is utilized to generate steam in the boiler, which may be used for any desired purpose, such as revolving the volatilizing furnace, for example. This preliminary cooling, which, however, must not be allowed to proceed far enough to permit any of the volatilized products to be condensed in the boiler, also lightens the work of the main condenser.

At the exit end of the boiler tubes 66 and communicating therewith is a pipe 28 and opposite to this pipe, which is substantially acontinuation of pipe 28 after leaving the boiler, is a smaller pipe 30, which pipe passes through a number of aspirators 31. These aspirators are shown in horizontal section in Fig. 2 and are of the type described in my former patent, No. 671,380.

Water under pressure is forced in through the pipe 32 into the space 33. Thence the water passes through a narrow opening 34 into a gradually expanding throat 35, which throat is provided inside the case of the aspirator with numerous perforations 36. The 0 ening 34; is controlled by means of the need e valve 37 operated by a hand wheel 38. Each aspirator casing is connected with the pipe 28 by a cross pipe 39. The sheet of the swiftly rushing current of water through the opening 34 and throat 35 is to entrain along with it the volatilized materials which are delivered from the pipe 28 and also draw up the liquid which is in the pipe 30, as hereinafter described, and which is connected to the aspirator casing.

In Fig. 1, I have shown four of these asirators, although any desired number may be used. The effect of these aspirators is to cause a partial vacuum in the pi e 28 which aids in the ready discharge of tlie volatilized material from the furnaces, this operation being also aided by the air pressure in said furnaces, as described in my companion application already referred to.

The throats 35 of the aspirators connect with a vertical pipe 40 closed at the top which pipe enters the top of a condensing vessel 41 which is provided with a artition 42 which reaches to the top and near y to the bottom thereof. Under the influence of the currents produced by the aspirators, the

liquid flows up through the pipe 30, mingles with the volatilized materials coming over through the pipe 28, and is discharged into the condenser 41 which is usually kept pretty nearly full of liquid.

The condenser 41 is provided with the usual gage glass 43 connected by valved pipes 44 and 45 with the body of the condenser. The liquid from the pipe 40'charged with the volatilized material and also with air passes down under the partition 42 and up again to the discharge pipe 46 which is connected with a second condensing cylinder 47.

In order to permit the excess of air which comes down through the pipe 40 to escape, I provide an upwardly extending pipe 48 which runs into a casing 49 provided with a.

stop cock 50 and escape pi e 51. In the casing 49, the pipe 48 dips be ow the surface of the water contained therein, thus affording a water seal which permits the air to escape freely but prevents a return movement of air through the pipe 48.

The Vessel or tank 47 is provided with a liquid discharge pipe 52 which is connected with a rotary or centrifugal pump 53, although any desired type of pump may be used. The liquid is forced by the pump 53 up through the pipe 54 which is closed at the top, and then across through a number of pipes 55 into the pipe 56 which is also closed at the top.

While passing through the pipes 55, the liquid is cooled by means of a shower of water discharged through perforations in the pipe 57 which runs above and parallel to the ipes 55, like an ordinary beer cooler. iquid then passes from the pipe 56 into the pump 62 and back again intothe pipe 30. In the beginning of the operation,water is pumped into the pipe 80 by the pump 62. l/Vhen the system is full, the su ply of water is cut off. The repeated circu ation of the liquid through the condensing apparatus is for the purpose of more completely saturating it, for example, with the soluble chlorid;

and sulfate of copper.

When the apparatus begins to run, the first portion of the liquid is of course a very dilute solutionso dilute that it would hardly pay to treat it, but after the liquid has been more thoroughly saturated, it reaches a point where it may profitably be treated. The liquid is then drawnv out through the pipe 63 provided with a valve 64 from the pipe 56. Through the pipe provided with a valve 61 at the bottom of the tank 41 is discharged a deposit of solid chlorid. of silver and a solid chlorid and sulfate of lead. These precipitates are then separated from the liquor that passes over with them in any suitable way, and the liquor is mixed with the liquor which is discharged.

through the pipe 63. This liquor is then The treated in the usual way, as by electrolysis or the insertion of iron therein, to recover the copper. The metallic silver is recovered from the chlorid of silver in the usual way, as by treatment with zinc, and the lead is smelted, producing metallic lead, which usually carries a greater or less percentage of silver and gold which are recovered in the usual way. The gold is recovered in the metallic state for the reason that the compounds of gold Which are formed in the operation, namely, the chlorid and a small proportion of the sulfid, are very easily decomposed so that the gold is recovered from the condensing apparatus as a metal. Some of the gold settles in thebottom of the tank 41. Some of it goes over into the second tank 47 and is discharged through the pipe 58, being separated fromthe lead and silver compounds in the usual way.

It will thus be seen that practically all the lead, copper, gold, and silver volatilized in the furnace, is condensed and collected in the. condenser, the result being the saving of practically all these metals at a slight expense. If the ore contains zinc this may be practically eliminated during the roasting operation, and the zinc may be recovered or thrown away. If the ore contains iron, this iron will not usually be volatilized, but will remain behind in, the furnace either in the form of fine metallic iron or else as. a magnetic oxid, and in either case the iron can be recovered 1n the usual way. Many ores,

however, contain too small percentages of iron and'zinc to warrant the saving of these metals, especially in localities where labor,

fuel, etc. are high, as is the case in many 10- calities where these complex refractory sulfid ores occur. If the ores do contain iron or zinc, these metals are either saved or thrown away, as circumstances dictate.

I claim:

1. In anapparatus for the treatment of refractory ores, the combination of a connection to a furnace; a boiler for reducing the temperature of the volatilized products from said ores joined to said connection; a closed circulatory system acting as a condenser connected to said boiler; said system comprising tanks, connecting pipes, aspirators and pumps; and means for conducting the volatilized products from said boiler tov said aspirators, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for the treatment of refractory ores, the combination of a connection to an ore furnace; a boiler for reducing the temperature of the volatilized products from said ores joined to said connection; a-

closed circulatory system acting as a condenser connected to said boiler; said system comprising tanks, connected pipes and aspirators; means for. conducting volatilized products to said aspirators pumps for con: tinuously circulating said products through said system; and means for cooling a part of said circulatory system, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for the treatment of refractory ores, the combination of a connection to a furnace, consisting of a pipe for conducting volatilized products from a furnace a boiler for reducing the temperature of the volatilized products from said ores, the tubes of which are connectedwith said pipe; and a closed circulatory system into which said boiler tubes deliver the partially cooled volatilized products, and consisting of tanks, connecting pipes, aspirators and pumps for continuously circulating said volatilized products through said system; and additional means for cooling the products, sub stantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for the treatment of refractory ores, the combination of a connection to a furnace; a boiler for reducing the temperature of the volatilized products from sald ores joined to said connection; a closed circulatory system acting as a condenser connected to said boiler, said system comprising tanks, connecting pipes, as-

irators provided with water jets, and pumps for continuously circulating said volatilized products through said system; and means for delivering the volatilized products from said furnace to said aspirators, whereby said products are sucked into the circulatory sys-' tem by said water jets and thoroughly and intimately mixed with water; and one of said tanks being provided with a water seal whereby the gases coming from the furnace may be allowed to escape, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for the treatment of refractory ores, the combination of a pipe for conducting volatilized products from a furnace, a boiler, into the tubes of which said pipe delivers said products, thereby subjecting them to a preliminary cooling, a pipe re' ceiving said products as they emerge from said boiler tubes, a series of aspirators connected to said second named pipe, a closed circulatory system acting as a condenser, including tanks, connecting ipes, pumps, and aspirators, one of said tan is being provided with a water seal for the escape of excess gases, and means for cooling one art of said circulatory system, substantial y as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

l-IASCAL A. HOGEL. IVitnesses:

S. M. PAULING, L. F. DAVIES. 

